"We wanted to say our final goodbye. If we win, it's a bonus," Polly Freund said. "Winning is wonderful, but competing is the best part of it."

The contest marked the final time that K Dyer, Krista Gustafson and Freund would compete together. Fittingly, their "Last Dance" featured a person wearing a hooded cape, twirling to let the snowflakes float off the garment.

"We are always going to be known as the Snowbabes. Nobody can take that away from us," Gustafson said.

The Snowbabes came together because the women consistently found themselves being on teams that were short a third member. Competitors would often call them "babe," so they decided to embrace their all-female team.

And the rest is history.

The trio has participated in dozens of contests, even nationals, to become tough competitors.

The women know to bring all types of sharp tools, like ice picks and roofing shovels, to handle Mother Nature's wrath. They must adjust their sculpting schedule around the possibility of snow, which can shrink the design, and to lower temperatures, which can yield ice that's nearly impossible to cut through.

And they learned quickly that they must use their brains to make up for lack of muscle. They don't attempt to stack snow on top of the provided block; instead, they carve designs out of it.

"We work smarter, not harder," Freund said.

They found out the hard way that it's worth taking extra safety precautions. Dyer cracked a rib after falling from a ladder and clipping her side on a tool. Gustafson received stitches after slicing her finger with an instrument.

"I wear lots of layers, so I don't bruise if I hit the ground," Dyer said.

It's these memories that Dyer, Gustafson and Freund will cherish. The other competitors, their teammates and the sport made the past 26 years unforgettable.